RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE FRAIL ELDERLY FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE

Measuring functional activity for elderly at very low functional level s remains a challenge because many functional instruments have not bee n standardized in a frail elderly population. The Frail Elderly Functi onal Assessment questionnaire (FEFA) is a 19-item, interviewer-adminis tered questionnaire designed to assess function in frail elderly at a very low activity level. The purpose of this study was to determine th e reliability and validity of this instrument in a frail elderly popul ation. Two groups of subjects over 65 yr old were selected to test the reliability and validity of this questionnaire. Test-retest reliabili ty was determined by correlating the responses of 29 homebound (includ ing nursing home-bound) subjects who answered the questionnaire on two occasions 2 wk apart. To assess the validity of the FEFA, the questio nnaire was administered to 23 frail, homebound (including nursing home -bound) elderly subjects who had a Mini-Mental State Examination score of greater than or equal to 18. Validity was determined by correlatin g patient responses to direct observations by the investigators of tas ks addressed in the questionnaire. Correlation was also determined aga inst the Katz's Activity of Daily Living index, Lawton's Instrumental Activity of Daily Living index, and the Barthel index. The reliability coefficient was 0.82. Correlation between the FEFA questionnaire and direct observation of questionnaire task performance was 0.90. Constru ct validity against the Katz's Activity of Daily Living, Lawton's Inst rumental Activity of Daily Living, and the Barthel index showed correl ations of 0.86, 0.67 and 0.91, respectively. Initial data indicate tha t the FEFA is a valid and reliable instrument that may be useful in as sessing function in frail elderly people.